Expert raises alarm over Nigeria’s population explosion

An expert in population issues has raised the alarm over the uncontrollable population explosion in Nigeria, saying that if it is not checked it may create more problems than expected in future for the country.

Speaking with newsmen recently, Dimos Sakellaridis, country director of DKT International Nigeria, said that if Nigeria continues its population growth without check, a time would come when the massive population will be unmanageable resulting in negative consequences.
According to him, “Nigeria currently has an estimated population of 174 million people and with the current growth rate, the population will be 450 million people by 2050. A major concern about this rapidly growing population is the fact that jobs, national infrastructures, social services, housing, health care facilities are not also growing at an equally comparable rate or at a faster rate like her population growth rate does. Well researched statistics by experts show that by the year 2040, Nigeria’s population growth would have been quadrupled and without commensurate amenities and employment to sustain it, it would spell doom. The reason is because poverty would have increased and there won’t be enough work and food for everybody. However, if people lived well, then there won’t be insurgence because poverty which drives people to extremes would be greatly reduced.

“If you compare Nigeria with more developed countries like Italy, a Catholic dominated country or even the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is a Muslim country, you will understand that these countries have maintained same population for several years and this has caused them to organise their lives better and provide for their people. China has taken care of their own population problems by policies that work for them. To make it worse, the prevalence of HIV and other forms of STDs has not helped matters because the indiscriminate procreation of babies as a result of unprotected sex leads to all forms of social problems which affect the nation and the world at large.”

When asked how DKT intends to prevent the population from increasing astronomically and affecting the Nigerian society, the country director stated, “It is to devise the most effective family planning methods like we have done at DKT International. The family planning landscape will be served better by having many players offering a wide range of products and services at different price points through various consechannels. If products are widely available, accessible and affordable and the consumers are well educated and informed, it will go a long way in addressing many of the inequities and gaps in the family planning space.

“Many think it is the government’s problem alone but it is not. All hands must be on deck to reduce the explosion of the world’s population and the other risks that follow it including the spread of HIV AIDS and DKT international is at the forefront of this battle to control the world population to a manageable limit as commensurate with the wealth available.”